Julian Fellowes' 'Titanic' miniseries: How will it compare to James Cameron's big screen saga?

Next month marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and the date of the historical event isn’t going unnoticed by the entertainment world. In addition to the 3-D rerelease of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning epic, Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes will also commemorate the Titanic centennial with a four-part miniseries that will air on ABC.

While certain similarities are inevitable (after viewing the latest trailers for the Titanic miniseries, it’s nearly impossible not to get that sinking feeling you’ve watched this tragedy all unfold before on the big screen, from the class discrimination to the awe-inspiring shots of the doomed liner), Fellowes assures there are some major differences. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, the Oscar-winning writer (Gosford Park) said, “James Cameron’s was [a] wonderful film, but that is a love story set against the sinking of the Titanic.”

Fellowes noted his Titanic, which features the likes of Linus Roache, Geraldine Somerville, and Toby Jones, “has a multistory arc,” that an ITV spokesperson said “will culminate in a cliff-hanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws together each of the stories.”

Watch the most recent ITV trailers for Titanic, which begins on Saturday, April 14 (10 days after Cameron’s Titanic will hit theaters again) on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, here:

Come April, will we have to decide which Titanic we want to board, or do both seem to be bringing their own unique brand of storytelling to the event? Do you like the direction Fellowes’ seems to be going with, or did we all become fascinated with the Titanicbecause of the Kate and Leo love story, not in spite of it? Will Fellowes’ Titanic be able to resurrect the network miniseries? Share in the comments section below.